1) Field
The following disclosure generally relates to small hearing aids.
2) Description of the Related Art
A hearing aid typically receives incident sound waves via a microphone, converts the received sound waves into electrical signals, amplifies the electrical signals, and converts the amplified electrical signals to sound waves which are then heard by a user. As electronic technologies are developed, hearing aids are improved using integrated circuits (“ICs”) instead of transistors. Along with a development of IC technology and fitting technology for hearing aids, it has become possible to provide gains and outputs according to various types, forms, and degrees of hearing loss, so that a reproduced sound signal can be substantially equated to an original sound signal, Furthermore, sizes of hearing aids are significantly reduced, and various types of hearing aids including a glass type hearing aid attached to a pair of glasses, a hairpin type, a tie pin type, an in-pocket type, a behind-the-ear (“BTE”) type, for example, are being manufactured and sold. Generally, a completely-in-the-canal (“CIC”) hearing aid, which can be easily inserted completely into user's ear, is popularly used.